Water Resource Management Planning
Download 117.64 Kb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- The Integrated Water Resource Management Plan
- Comprehensive Water Resource Management Plans
Three Levels of PlanningBecause the specific topics covered in a Water Resource Management Plan and the level of detail included on any one topic necessarily reflect the unique nature and complexity of the community’s individual water resource management problems, it is essential that communities take great care in the appropriate scope of work. To help with this effort, this Guide presents information on three different levels of planning: the Integrated Water Resource Management Plan, the Comprehensive Water Resource Management Plan, and the Engineering Report. This Guide also provides detailed information on the topics that are typically included in each type of plan. For information on when each level of plan is appropriate, communities should consult the matrix on page 25. The Integrated Water Resource Management PlanAn Integrated Water Resource Management Plan is a plan that evaluates alternative means for addressing a community’s current and future wastewater, drinking water, and stormwater needs and identifies the most economical and environmentally appropriate means of meeting those needs. Integrated Water Resource Management Planning is an integral component of municipal planning. Many municipalities engage in planning to determine future land use patterns, provide educational and economic opportunities for residents, ensure an adequate stock of affordable housing and in general improve the quality of life. The viability of these plans relies on a reliable source of safe drinking water and environmentally protective systems for managing wastewater and stormwater. Preparation of an Integrated Water Resource Management Plan that examines the overall ability of the water resource infrastructure to accommodate anticipated growth is an essential element of any planning effort aimed at shaping the nature and extent of future development. Many communities also engage in planning in response to the state’s environmental laws and regulations. Pursuant to the Massachusetts Clean Waters Act, MassDEP has required many communities to develop infiltration and inflow control plans or long term combined sewer overflow control plans to reduce the discharge of untreated or inadequately treated sewage into the Commonwealth’s inland and coastal waters. MassDEP has establishing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for surface waters that do not meet the state water quality standards. Many communities are developing plans for coming into compliance with these TMDLs. Communities that regularly experience water shortages and repeatedly request Declarations of Emergency may be required to find a long- term remedy for meeting its drinking water needs. Through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program, MassDEP and EPA have jointly issued general permits (the MS4 Permits) requiring communities to develop plans to remove illicit discharges from the storm drain system, to control stormwater runoff from development and redevelopment sites both during and after construction, and to improve the management of stormwater at all municipal facilities. Communities facing all these requirements simultaneously may benefit from preparation of an Integrated Water Resource Management Plan. Preparing one document in response to a number of different regulatory requirements not only saves time and money, but also promotes cooperation and coordination among municipal departments. Indeed, the preparation of an Integrated Water Resource Management Plan requires the participation of the Water Department, Sewer Department, Board Of Health, Department of Public Works, Conservation Commission and Planning Department. With municipal departments working together, the community has the opportunity to prepare one plan that prioritizes all its water resource management needs in a manner that provides the greatest benefit to the public health and the environment. Bringing these departments together can save money. As roads are repaved, communities can inspect the water pipes, sewer pipes and storm drains under those roads, remove illicit connections to the sewers and storm drains, repair leaks. and make any other necessary repairs. Bringing departments together can also foster solutions that address multiple problems. For example, rain barrels can be distributed to reduce the discharge of stormwater to a combined sewer system and to promote water conservation. By disconnecting roof leaders and driveway drains from the sewer system and directing the runoff to rain gardens and vegetated swales, a community can reduce the frequency and duration of sanitary sewer flows and recharge the ground water. In light of these multiple benefits, this Guide is intended to encourage communities to prepare Integrated Water Resource Management Plans. Comprehensive Water Resource Management PlansDespite these benefits, not all cities and towns can afford to engage in Integrated Water Resource Management Planning. Given limited finances, a community may choose to focus its attention on the one component of its water resource infrastructure that presents the greatest and most immediate challenge, whether it is wastewater, drinking water, or stormwater. For cities and towns with severe wastewater management problems, a Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan is an excellent tool for finding a town-wide solution. A Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan allows the community to consider decentralized alternatives to sewering including wastewater reuse, package treatment plants, and on-site septic systems. Communities evaluating alternative remedies for abating Combined Sewer Overflows should also prepare a Long-Term CSO Control Plan, a highly specialized type of Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan. For many communities wastewater management is not the most pressing water resource management problem. For some cities and towns in the Commonwealth, the highest priority water resource issue is the community’s ability to meet current and or future water supply needs. Those communities may choose to prepare a Comprehensive Water Supply Plan to identify the most environmentally appropriate and economical means of providing residents and businesses with a reliable source of drinking water now and in the future. Communities faced with the challenge of fulfilling all the requirements of the MS4 Permit may find it helpful to prepare a Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan. This Guide is intended to assist communities interested in preparing Comprehensive Plans aimed at resolving their most challenging water resource management problem. Directory: eea -> docs -> dep -> water dep -> Charles D. Baker Governor dep -> Charles D. Baker Governor dep -> Charles D. Baker Governor dep -> Index of Photographs dep -> Department of environmental protection one winter street, boston, ma 02108 617-292-5500 water -> Mainstem Taunton River water -> The goal of the Clean Water Act (cwa) is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters water -> 2004 water quality assessment report Download 117.64 Kb. Share with your friends:
|